Auto tranny help

[canadian357]

So, lately i've been having trouble with the cold weather literally freezing my transmission. I'm thinking flushing it and adding new fluid will help. Its been locking in park even while my engine is warm, and the only real way to get it going is to have someone push it. Any ideas?

[evil88accordLX]

i dated a chick a long time ago that had a mercedes that did the same thing in super cold weather. never did figure out exactly why, but enough muscle would break it free when it did happen. it was the strangest thing......

[2oodoor]

Is there ice under the car?
Look under there where the shifter goes into the transmission, you will have to raise the car to see it. There should be a small cover over it to keep things out. Take the little cover off and look in there with a light, make sure the cottor pin is not obstructing the movement. Also make sure it is adjusted right, does the indicator light come on in the right selected gear?
This car is not on a hill or the tire against the curb when this happens is it?

[canadian357]

I'll check for ice. It goes into reverse a lot easier than drive, maybe its time to do my manual tranny swap...

[canadian357]

and no. a few inches from the curb, and i live in the prairies, so no hill.

[nfs480]

I think it's not your transmission that's the problem and that it is actually the shift-lock in the center console. My car does this too in the cold. Have you tried using the shift-lock override with a second key in the center console to see if you can shift out of park then? If so, then that's your culprit, not the tranny itself.

EDIT: Mine can even do this if the engine is hot but the interior of the car hasn't warmed up enough to warm up the shift lock inside the center console.

[canadian357]

Do you have a picture of the shift lock override thing? I dunno what your talking about.

[nfs480]

It's built into the center console, so I don't have pictures because i'd have to take mine apart. The shift-lock override is the thing that prevents you from shifting out of park when you don't have your foot on the brake. What happens with mine is that when I put my foot on the brake it malfunctions and doesn't allow the shifter to move. I think that's what's happening with yours. I remember hearing a while back that you can fix it by regreasing something in the center console, but I don't remember how or what. The override itself is a little key shaped thing like an inch to the right of the shift lever on the center console. You can stick a second key in there and it should allow you to shift out of park.

[2oodoor]

3rd gen Accords , shift lock, whuuut

certainly applies to other year models though

[nfs480]

Mine has the shift lock and it's discussed in the owner's manual.

[2oodoor]

I have never seen one, not even in the hundred or so cars I have been thru at the JY. Those act up in wet weather for some reason too, maybe the board in the controler.

[DBMaster]

My car also has the shift interlock. I am wondering if it is something added late in the generation. When I step on the brake I can hear the click inside the shift lever console. Some of you may recall that a few cars of that vintage (mostly Fords) had this issue where the transmission would slip into reverse without even shifting. Ford's solution: affix a couple of stickers inside the car telling you not to leave it running unattended and not to get behind the car while in park. Pretty much every car, automatic and standard after that had an interlock. With the standards you generally can't start the car until you push in the clutch and on the automatics you have to step on the brake to shift out of park.

[nfs480]

Yeah, mine is an '89 SE-i so maybe it was added in the later half of the 3rd gen.